Graduates Say Salary Talk Is More Stressful Than Breakups

Recent research reveals that recent college graduates find negotiating salary more stressful than ending a relationship. A survey of 2,000 graduates from 2024 and 2025 found 54% believed salary negotiations were more anxiety-inducing than breaking up with a partner (39%). Graduates were split on whether filing taxes or assembling IKEA furniture was more confusing, with 52% selecting taxes. Only 35% had created and stuck to a budget, while fewer had written checks (26%) or balanced a checkbook (22%). 71% graduated worried about their next steps, as less than half (42%) felt “very sure” about post-graduation plans. For 2024 graduates, 66% said their “future roadmap” went as planned, and 71% said the year after graduation was better than expected. However, 2025 graduates felt more mentally than financially prepared to enter the workforce. (Talker Research)